Staying Fit
[NOTE: This survey was fielded in July, prior to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022.]
Nine in ten Michigan voters 50-plus consider it very or somewhat important for Congress and the president to act on lowering prescription drug prices this year, and they strongly support addressing the price of prescription drugs through a variety of legislative and policy changes.
- Nine in ten support allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices. [The Inflation Reduction Act authorises Medicare to negotiate the prices of some drugs beginning in 2026.]
- Nearly as many support requiring drug companies to publicly disclose how prices are set for their medications.
- Between seven in ten and eight in ten Michigan voters 50-plus support Michigan
- establishing a wholesale prescription drug importation program.
- capping how much Americans have to pay out-of-pocket for their prescriptions.
- establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.
- Seven in ten report they are more likely to agree that the government should negotiate on prescription drug prices for people on Medicare considering its recent successful negotiations on the price of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nearly six in 10 Michigan voters 50-plus are very or somewhat concerned they may not be to afford the cost of a prescription medication they or a family member might need, while nearly three-quarters believe that U.S. consumers pay more for the same drugs as their counterparts in the U.K., France, and Italy.
One-fifth say they have decided to skip filling a prescription that their doctor has given them in the past two years, with the cost of the drug cited as their top reason for doing so.
Similarly, one-fifth of older Michigan voters who take prescriptions say they have purchased an over-the-counter medication rather than a prescription, while about one in eight say they have delayed getting a prescription filled because they didn’t have the money to pay for it, and another one in eight report shopping online at either a U.S. or Canadian pharmacy for a lower price.
Methodology
The Michigan Prescription Drug Survey was conducted by EPIC-MRA among a sample of Michigan registered voters age 50 and older. The survey asked individuals about their use of prescription drugs and concerns relating to prescription drugs. The phone survey interviews averaged 18 minutes in length and were conducted in English July 8–16, 2022. A total of 1,000 interviews were completed.
For more information, please contact Teresa A. Keenan at tkeenan@aarp.org. For media inquiries, contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.
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